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Franke James is Editor/Founder of Office-Politics.com and Inventor of the Office-Politics® Game. Peter R. Garber has worked as an HR professional for over 25 years and is the author of many business books including: Winning the Rat Race at Work and 100 Ways to Get on the Wrong Side of your Boss. Dina Beach Lynch, is an Ombudsman, Author and former attorney. An award-winning mediator, Dina served as the Corporate Ombudsman for the 7th largest bank in the US helping over 48,000 employees to resolve workplace issues. Dr. Rick Brandon is CEO of Brandon Partners. He has consulted and trained tens of thousands at corporations worldwide, including Fortune 500 companies across a variety of industries. Dr. Marty Seldman is one of America's most experienced executive coaches. His 35-year career includes expertise in executive coaching, group dynamics, cross-cultural studies, clinical psychology, and training. Arnie Herz, is a lawyer, mediator, speaker, author and consultant nationally recognized for his practical and inspired approach to conflict resolution and client counseling. Dr. John Burton LL.B. M.B.A. M.Div. Ph.D. is an ethicist, mediator, lawyer and theologian. John is currently located in Prince Rupert, B.C., Canada, working with Canada's aboriginal communities. |
One day when we were alone my Boss tried to grab me... April 2005, Article 6 Dear Office-Politics, I
joined an engineering
firm three years back after a family crisis. There are 6 people
in my department. My immediate boss knows my family problems and
was my mentor and guide when I joined. One day when we were alone
he tried to grab me and I slapped him and left. I didn't have
any friends outside the office in this new country, so I confided in
my colleague who was the only other woman in my dept. That's when
she told me he has been flirting with her for
a long
time, knowing she is married, but that she too has began to like
him. Now
the real problem started. Though my boss apologized he started
yelling at me in the office for small things, complaining I am
hiding information from him, I am
trying to bypass him and get a promotion. The constant fighting
went to the ears of my CEO and he suspended my Boss
for misbehavior. The office was OK after that for a some time. I
want to quit this job but Management
has a lot of faith in me.
They
have doubled my salary in one year. I
do need this job. I am in UAE and this country VISA rules are
very strict. I cannot break my contract. But I don't know how
to behave in the office. Out of six people including me, three
of them don't even talk to me or talk to me only to snub. I
feel left out, and depressed, and it's affecting my work. Please
advise. Should
I take risk and quit my job? How
should I handle this? Sincerely,
Dear Mistreated, It
sounds like a difficult situation and it is made more difficult by
the fact that you are in the UAE, where you have visa requirements
and a work contract to be concerned with. However,
it sounds like you have a CEO who takes this issue seriously. The
fact that he suspended your boss for his sexual harassment indicates
that the CEO is aware that he or she needs to ensure that employees
act appropriately. Therefore I would approach him or her before
taking any other steps. It may be that a program to raise the
awareness of employees about harassment issues can be put in place. That
should help to address the poor treatment that you are receiving
from other employees as well. If
the CEO is not responsive to your concerns then I think you can feel
assured that you have done everything possible to salvage this working
relationship. If the situation remains as it is, my advice
would be to leave the job, despite the good pay. It is not
worth the risks to your physical and mental health to stay in a position
where you are feeling so isolated and harassed. I
cannot really comment on the difficulties of breaking your work contract. The
contract itself may prescribe penalties for early termination, or
you may be better off to consult a lawyer and explore your options. It
seems unlikely that there would be no provision for ending the contract
early, otherwise it amounts to a contract for indentured servitude,
which in common law jurisdictions at least is illegal as being contrary
to public policy. Best
of luck with sorting this one out. Thanks
for writing to Office-Politics. Dr. John Burton LL.B. M.B.A. M.Div. Ph.D. is an ethicist, mediator, lawyer and theologian whose passion is helping people and organizations create better relationships and stronger communities by being clear, committed and collaborative in their approach to ethics and conflict. John is currently located in Prince Rupert, B.C., Canada, working with Canada's aboriginal communities.
The Ethics Letters that appears as a feature of this Website is an educational and discussion oriented column designed to help the reader better understand ethical issues. The matters discussed in the letter are reviewed in a summary/abbreviated way and are only meant to foster thinking on the part of the reader. If a person decides to adopt or implement suggestions, they do so at their own risk. No representation or warranty is provided in relation to suggestions or the contents of the letter. Neither the authors of the letter, Franke James, John W. Burton, or the owners of this Website accept any liability whatsoever for any opinions expressed in the letter or for errors and omissions. Submission of letters to the Office-Politics Forum grants the Publisher, Nerdheaven Ltd. the right to reproduce, republish, repurpose and excerpt the submission in any and all other media, without compensation or contacting the author. Copyright Nerdheaven Ltd. 2002-2005
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